//------------------------------//
// Chapter Twelve 
// Story: Our Year 
// by AJtheRaven 
//------------------------------//

Applejack felt lightheaded all the way to… well, to wherever Rainbow Dash was making her drive. After a miserable week of brutally kicking herself for being so forward, their friendship hadn't ended after all. Instead, it had grown into something new; something better. They were still best friends, but now they were something more, too. It was like they huddled under an umbrella of love that encompassed all the feelings they had ever had for each other, whether friendly or more-than-friendly. All of the feelings were wrapped up into one, so neither of them had to miss out on anything. And from under the umbrella, Applejack was safe from the rain of the outside world. She still didn't know what she would do when her family found out. But until then…
AJ reached across the car and grabbed at Rainbow’s hand, twining their fingers together. She couldn't count the number of times she had wanted to do this. Without taking her eyes off the road (because, duh, she wasn't going to jeopardize their lives just to be romantic) she smiled, knowing that Rainbow was watching her. “Ah missed ya,” she said. “An’ Ah’m glad we're back together now. As friends an’… y’know. Girlfriends, too.” The word melted on her tongue, infusing her mouth with sweetness. It was a word she had never imagined using to describe herself, let alone to describe herself and Rainbow Dash.
Dash squeezed her hand. “I missed you, too. And yeah. Same.” She smiled, but there was something missing from it.
Applejack knew her well enough to know that something was wrong. She slid her foot over to the brake pedal as they neared an intersection, and twisted to stare at her friend. “Dash, won't ya just tell me what's wrong?”
She moved to flick the right turn signal on, since this was the intersection where she had to turn to get to Rainbow’s aunt and uncle’s house, but Rainbow stopped her. “No, drive straight. We're going somewhere else today.”
Confused, Applejack did as she asked. “Honey, that didn't answer mah question. It just made me more confused.”
Dash pursed her lips, refusing to look her in the eye. “It did answer the question… you just don't know it yet.”
AJ sucked in her breath. When Dash wanted to be difficult and cryptic, there was no prying any useful information out of her. She pressed a kiss to Rainbow’s hand and returned both palms to the steering wheel. “Alright, darlin’. Just, ya know, ya can talk to me whenever ya need me.”
“That's why I’m here,” Rainbow said, her breaths choppy and uneven. “To talk to you. Because I haven't been saying what I should have, not for years and years. And it's finally time to… to…” She swallowed, her throat bobbing like a bird. “To be honest.”
“Honest?” Applejack was so surprised she almost jerked the steering wheel. “Ya sayin’ ya been lyin’ to me? Ah don’t think so. Ah’d’ve noticed.”
“Not this time.” Dash stared ahead grimly. “It's hard to notice a lie when you've been hearing it for years.”
“Years? R.D., what in the hey is goin’ on?”
Dash didn't answer. “Keep driving. Right into the city, go on.”
Although she was growing more perplexed by the minute, Applejack kept holding Dash’s hand as Canterlot loomed in the distance. When the pickup reached the edge of the city, the part where the countryside melted into humps of brick and glass and depressed apartment buildings, Rainbow instructed her to turn left off the highway, and Applejack followed her directions to one of the smaller apartment buildings on the right. “Dash… what are we doin’ here?” she asked as the car idled at the curbside in front. Strangers glared at her as they hustled down the sidewalks, and she revved the engine nervously, prepared to make a quick getaway. These weren't nice country folk at all. 
In answer, Dash pulled out a key from her pocket and stared hard at Applejack, as if daring her to comment, and AJ felt her heart sink. It had a label on it, just in case Dash forgot what it was for: APARTMENT DOOR. “Oh, no. Oh, no no no. Rainbow Dash, please tell me you're jokin’.”
“I wish,” came the acrid reply. “Park the car. There's spots under the building. Then come on up and see the lie I've been telling you guys for years.” Her voice rasped sharply as though nails were stuck in her throat.
She almost couldn't believe it as she parked the pickup truck. What had happened? Why wasn't Dash living with her aunt and uncle? And why lie about it all, anyways? Poor thing. If only Applejack had known… but she hadn't, and now the knowledge was slamming into her like a truck.
The lobby might have looked like it had seen better days, except that it didn't look like it had seen good days at all. The walls looked like mold and the floor was squishy; a layer of dust hung over anything. There wasn't even a security guard. This place wasn't safe at all. Swallowing hard, AJ eyed the elevator. “Ah… Ah’m not too sure Ah trust that.”
“I wouldn't if I were you. Come on, we'll take the stairs… all ten flights of them. At least I have a good view.”
At the top, Rainbow stuck the key into the door at the far end of the hallway. It creaked in protest but refused to move, and Dash swore. “Crap. This thing’s always so sticky…” She jiggled the door until it wrenched open, and took a deep breath before looking at Applejack with a pained smile. “Don't hate me for lying. Please.”
“Zip it, Dash. Ya know Ah could never hate ya. Ah…” Her voice faltered like a stalled engine, but when she tried to start it up again, the words wouldn't come.
Applejack stared all around the room in shocked silence, taking in its contents: the tiny armchair and television set so old it should’ve had a funeral, which comprised the only pieces of furniture in the apartment; a kitchen more gray than white which even an ant would have problems maneuvering in; a grimy window; and nasty carpeting. She could have crossed the whole apartment in ten steps. Tank’s cage was in the corner, and Applejack’s heart melted when she saw that Rainbow had done her best to make it seem homely, stuffing it with vegetation and rocks. 
“Rainbow…” Applejack’s voice was hoarse, accompanied by tears welling up in her eyes. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Dash, what…?” She gestured to the room. “You've been livin’ here this whole time?”
Rainbow flung herself down in the armchair, which creaked ominously, and snorted bitterly. “Yeah. My aunt and uncle kicked me out as soon as they figured I was old enough. They never liked me. They took me in out of duty, after my parents, you know…” She swallowed. “They always put on a nice act, to fool everyone who came over. But they weren't nice at all. They got rid of me as soon as they could. They don't even send me money. All I’ve got is the money I earn from the mall, and that all goes to rent and food. I don't even have enough money to buy bus tickets, let alone a heckin’ bike. So I have to run to school every day. I always make sure I get there before you guys and leave when you're all gone, so nobody asks me any questions. That hot sports car I kept telling you about it? I don't have it. I told you I don't bring it to school ‘cause I like running. Man, that was bull. It's all bull. My whole life is bull.” She swung around to bravely face Applejack in the eye, but the farmer could see how hard she was trying not to cry.
Applejack strode over and knelt down by Rainbow, grabbing her hands just like Rainbow had done to her only a couple of hours ago. Tears brimmed in her own eyes. “Sugarcube, Ah’m so sorry,” she whispered. “Ah had no idea yore aunt an’ uncle did that to ya.” Rage overtook her at the thought of it, and she had to beat it back down. “Ah… Ah don't know what else to say. Why didn't ya tell any of us before? We coulda helped ya.”
Rainbow wouldn't quite meet her gaze, and Applejack knew exactly why. Dash had always been a proud girl, and letting Applejack see her fall this far must have been a huge blow. “Because I was embarrassed,” she muttered, confirming AJ’s suspicions. “I didn't want you guys to see me like this. I can look after myself. And more then that, I didn't want to be a burden to you.” The words were heavy and clearly forced out only thanks to a supreme amount of willpower; Dash had also never been very good at talking about feelings. “I didn't want you to have to stoop down and pick me back up. It would have been way too much work. I didn't want to put you guys through that.”
There it was, that heart that Applejack knew Rainbow had. Always looking out for other people even when she was struggling herself. 
But she was still, sometimes, a blithering idiot. “Rainbow,” Applejack said slowly, cupping Dash’s face in her hands. “We know you can take care of yoreself. But did it ever occur to ya that we might want to take care of ya sometimes, too? That yore our friend an’ we love ya an’ would do just about anythin’ for ya? You didn't wanna put us through anything? What about what yore bein’ put through? Did ya ever think that we might wanna help ya with that? Ya ain't a burden, Dash. Not ever.” Applejack reached up to stroke her forehead, her eyes tender. “The only burden is seein’ ya like this an’ knowing Ah didn't know about it for years.”
“I…” 
Dash lowered her head, ashamed, and Applejack squeezed her hand. “Look. We got two possible courses of action. First: we drive to yore aunt an’ uncle’s place right now, an’ Ah pummel ‘em into the dirt. Or…” She stood up and tapped a finger on Rainbow’s nose. “Ya get all yore stuff into a duffel bag an’ we drive back to mah house.”
“Okay, the first option is the only one I actually understood. Why do I need a bag?”
“Sugarcube, if ya think Ah’m lettin’ ya stay here one night longer, you're outta yore mind. No way, no how. You're comin’ back t’ my house. At least ‘till we can find ya a better place to stay somewhere else and help ya get back on yore feet.”
“What?” Dash seemed almost alarmed by the suggestion.  “No, AJ, I can't stay with you guys, I can't make you take care of me, I” —
“Stop talkin’. It's already decided.” Applejack strode firmly into Rainbow’s bedroom. She cringed away from its shabbiness but tried to maintain a brave face for her friend. “If ya don't come in here of yore own accord, Ah’m gonna start pickin’ things for ya at random. So git yore butt over here.”
Rainbow trailed in a second later, her face dreary. “AJ, this is embarrassing. I don't want you guys to have to put up with me. Like I said, I can take care of myself.”
“Yeah, but ya shouldn't have to fend,” Applejack argued back. “Ya should just be able to live. An’ ya can't do that here. We're goin’ back to mah house an’ ya can stay in the guest bedroom until yore back on yore feet. Okay?”
Dash slumped against the wall, but her lips were curled in a tentative smile. “I… okay. Thanks, AJ.” Her eyes said everything she couldn't say aloud. They expressed a gratitude that couldn't fit in words, a relief that she was too embarrassed to admit, and a love that she couldn't ever hope to be able to quantify.
Applejack patted her on the shoulder. She knew exactly how she needed to handle her — Rainbow was a proud girl, and was probably mightily embarrassed right at this very moment. Applejack needed to downplay the service that she was offering and make it seem like none of this was a bit deal. “Hey, no worries. Pals gotta come through for each other.”
“More than pals, now,” Rainbow corrected. “Right?”
In response, Applejack leaned forward and kissed her long and hard. “There's yore answer. Now git to packin’.”
It wasn't until Rainbow had turned away and was rummaging in her closet that Applejack finally allowed herself to close her eyes and rest her head against the wall, wrestling with the pain that she felt for Rainbow’s plight.
Finally, Rainbow emerged from her closet with a handful of clothes and tossed them onto the bed. Her jaw worked as she stared up at the wall that Applejack was touched to see she had decorated with pictures of her friends. “Whatcha thinkin’ about?” she asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. 
Rainbow lowered her eyes. “Well… these photos have been my lifeline. Literally, they're the only things that keep me sane and remind me I’ve got friends who love me. I wanted to take them with me to your place, too. But taking them down off the walls feels so permanent, and… what if getting out of here isn't permanent? What if I end up back here after all? Maybe I should just leave the posters up.”
In answer, Applejack strode up to the wall and started ripping them off. Rainbow Dash stared, dumbfounded, at the scene before joining in. “You are not comin’ back here,” AJ said firmly. “Ya take every last damn thing out of this apartment that ya care about, do ya hear me? Cause yore never settin’ foot in this place again. Do ya hear me?” she repeated more forcefully. 
“Loud and clear,” she whispered with a shy grin, as though she couldn't believe this was really happening.
Everything Dash needed fit inside her duffel bag, save for Tank’s cage, which AJ decided to carry down. Rainbow reached into the fridge and pulled our half a slice of chocolate cake, which she crammed down her throat faster than Applejack could eat an apple (a noteworthy feat). “What? I care about chocolate cake, too,” she mumbled through a mouthful of it, her eyes glinting devilishly. Applejack let it slide, relieved to see her friend regaining her spirits. 
Dash hefted the bag up to her chest. Despite being so tall, she seemed small and forlorn as she stared around the apartment one last time. “Good riddance to this hellhole,” she announced as bravely as she could, flipping the entire apartment the bird. “See you never.”
Applejack took her hand and pressed a kiss into her polychromatic hair. “C’mon, honey. Let's get the hell outta here.”

***

When the two of them got back	 to the Apple family farmstead, Big Mac was waiting for them on the porch. He raised an eyebrow. “Well, Ah see ya two made up.”
“Yep,” Rainbow said nervously, her breath pluming in the air. 
“Good. But let me tell ya, Miss Dash — don't try somethin’ like that again. Had AJ miserable for a whole week, ya did.”
“You don't have to tell me,” she mumbled. “I already know I screwed up.”
“Mac, leave her alone,” AJ admonished him, throwing a protective arm around her shoulders (even though she had to stand on her tiptoes to get her arm all the way around). “It's all in the past.” She steered Rainbow into the house, leaning closer to whisper to her. “Ah have to tell Granny why yore here. How much can Ah tell her?”
Rainbow pondered the question for a moment, clearly relieved that AJ had had the courtesy to ask. “Uh… just tell her I fell on some hard times and need a place for a while. Don't go into the details.”
“Sure thing, sugarcube. Well, let's see ‘bout getting ya set up in the meantime then, since Ah think she's out with Bloom buyin’ groceries.” Applejack steered her down the hallway to the guest bedroom on the first floor. It was bright and clean and seemed recently-slept-in, of course, because the Apples always had some manner of friend or family over. “Just make yoreself at home. Put whatever ya want up on the walls an’ all. Bathroom’s down the hall, an’…”
“I've slept over, like, fifty thousand times. I'll be fine.” Rainbow hefted her bag onto her shoulder with a watery smile. “Thanks, AJ. For everything. I mean it.”
By way of answer, Applejack leaned forward and placed her hands on Rainbow’s shoulders. “Ya know ya can always talk to me, right? Always. ‘Cause Ah think ya forgot for a while there.”
Rainbow nodded slowly. “Don't worry. You helped me remember.”
“Well, there's something else ya gotta remember too.” Applejack kissed her on the forehead and wrapped her in a hug. “I love ya. Always remember that, alright?”
Dash remained silent long enough that Applejack knew she was trying not to cry with emotion. When she finally pulled out of the embrace, all that was left were faint tear tracks on her cheeks. “Geez, AJ. Always gotta be so sappy,” she joked brightly. But Applejack knew the sentiment had taken hold.